Courageous
by HalfwaytoNowhere142
Summary: Santana has loved Brittany for a year now but lacked the courage to tell her. Now, she's moving far away and she decides to give Brittany a letter she wrote a year ago, telling her how she feels. How will Brittany respond?
1. Chapter 1

**Here's a quick story - it'll be about two chapters, I think. Sorry for any typos. I'm just writing this for the heck of it, but it's good, I promise!  
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**Some of this was inspired from the Kim Possible movie (yes, I still watch that) but also my life and Glee. Isn't the thought of combining KP and Glee weird? I can't see Ron singing. haha :)  
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**Disclaimer:** I don't own Glee or its characters or anything affliated with it.

She needs to forget, so she does what she always does: walks into her room, turns on a movie, and puts on her headphones. She blocks out the world in an attempt to forget who she is, what she stands for, and, most importantly, who she loves. Because the girl she loves will never love her back in that way.

They've only known each other for two years, but Santana Lopez knows without a doubt that she loves Brittany. What's not to love about Brittany? She's so beautiful and talented... She understands and knows everything about Santana.

Except this.

The worst thing is, Santana is moving in a few weeks and they may never see each other again. She doesn't want to go, but she has no choice. Her dad was hired for a new, prestigious law firm several states away. She begged and cried, but they told her she has to come with them, which means leaving Brittany behind.

She pauses the movie and opens the document on her computer, typing in the password. Once the document has loaded, Santana re-reads what she has written and contemplates. Should she do it? With a sigh, she re-reads the document again. It's not really that well written...

_"Dear Brittany,_

_We've been friends now for four years and it flew by, didn't it? I know you're not expecting to get this from me, but it has to be said. You've always been the best friend I've ever had, even if you never felt the same about me. And that's okay._

_You've taught me so much: how to treat everyone kindly; how to laugh, even about nothing; how to be friendly; that it's okay that I don't have anything figured out yet, you understand; that being myself is better than hiding quietly without saying a word; to not care what others think about me and just laugh and have fun; to be thankful; but most importantly... you taught me about something really, really important._

_And I was going to say the word right after the '...' but I just couldn't. Because I'm scared. I'm scared that you will never talk to me again and the thought of that makes me want to cry. Brittany, I might as well just tell you. I'm in love with you. And maybe you're shocked, but maybe you're not. I love you because you can make me laugh like no one else, even over something silly. I love you because you are so beautiful, inside and out. I love you because you have such beautiful eyes. I love you because you truly care about others. I love you even when you're annoyed about something. _

_When I get a text from you, my entire face lights up with a smile and I just feel so good inside. We have always had a connection that I have felt – a sort of soul connection. When I realized I was in love with you, things made more sense - Like, why I felt so awkward going alone to the movies with you when I've gone alone with other friends – because with you it felt like a date._

_ I'm not going to mention this again. I just had to let you know, because otherwise my heart will keep hoping that maybe, just maybe, you love me in the same way. But I know that won't happen because you don't feel that way about me. You've liked boys for as long as I can remember. Anyway, you're beautiful, and thanks, for everything._

_Love_,

_Santana"_

Ugh... Grammatically, the letter has serious issues, but her heart was poured into it when she wrote it a year ago. Santana sighs. "I might as well just go for it. I really don't have anything to lose."

She clicks print, picks up the sheet, and sticks it an envelope. With a final kiss, she smiles nervously. "I hope this doesn't destroy our friendship..."

* * *

><p>Today is the day: the day that she leaves McKinley and never, ever returns; the day that she leaves Brittany. It's going to be who knows how long before they see each other again and Santana's heart aches at the thought. She's scared that she's losing the only person who would have made the rest of her life happy.<p>

After a day of tearful goodbyes (on the part of everyone else because Santana Freakin' Lopez doesn't cry), it was almost time to leave. Brittany had come over after school and helped Santana pack. Now, they stood awkwardly, looking at each other.

Brittany clasps Santana's hand. "I'm really going to miss you, San, but we'll Skype everyday, okay? Promise?"

"I promise, Britt-Britt."

"GIRLS! IT'S TIME TO GO!" Santana's father is anxious to get settled in and they have a long drive ahead of them.

"San... I love you."

She hates it when Brittany says that because it hurts so much. She knows Brittany doesn't mean it the way she does and when someone just carelessly throws around the phrase, 'I love you', even if it was sincerely meant in terms of friendship, it hurt. Not to mention it gave her false hope each time the words left Brittany's lips. But she could never tell Brittany to stop telling her that without telling her why. Santana wasn't willing to risk their friendship for anything, even love. Now that she's moving, however, she can give Brittany the letter and hopefully it won't destroy their friendship, because, let's face it, their friendship is never going to be the same again anyway with Santana so far away.

"I love you too, Brittany. Listen, I have this... letter for you. But, don't read it until I'm gone okay? And, remember, you don't have to, like, respond or anything or even mention it again. I hope we always remain good friends, no matter what."

"Of course we will, Santana!" Brittany takes the envelope and hugs Santana hard, hanging on for dear life. She feel of Brittany's arms around her make her feel so safe and warm, but unfortunately, it's time to go.

"Bye."

"Talk to you soon!"

"You know it, Britt!"

Brittany watches as Santana walks to the car without a backward glance. From the way that Santana's shoulders shake slightly, Brittany knows she's crying, and it breaks her heart to watch but be unable to comfort her best friend.

* * *

><p>As soon as Santana is gone, Brittany jogs to her car and rips open the letter, curious as to what it contains.<p>

Her eyes widen slightly as she continues to read and she smiles here and there. When she finishes the letter, she lets out a shaky breath she hadn't known she was holding and shakes her head in bewilderment.

"Why didn't you tell me, Santana?" A lone tear rolls gently down her cheek and its pair quickly follow, neither content to be left alone.

Even though no one can hear her, Brittany admits it for the first time out loud. "I love you too, Santana. I always have."

And she didn't mean it as a friend.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or its characters, etc.**

**Okay, guys, this is what you get when I can't sleep. That's right, another chapte****r (and for the cheap price of $19.99, we'll throw in extra words too so it's longer)! By the way, I've decided to make this story a bit longer (like maybe 3-5 chapters). If anyone has a problem with that (for some odd, mysterious reason) let me know. Sorry the last chapter was such a downer! It gets better! :)**

They all had weird accents and it was driving her freakin' crazy! The low, Southern drawl made her Midwest twang sound even more 'nasely'. And everyone in the small school stared at her today because she was new. They tried to be friendly but for the sake of preservation, Santana glared at everyone and everything. She even thinks she glared at a plant at one point.

Needless to say, they left her alone. That was great because it meant she could wallow in her self-pity and wish Brittany was here to help her make fun of all the dorks in this place. The thought of Brittany sends her stomach into unease because it's been two days and they haven't talked. Santana doesn't know what's going on but obviously the letter upset Brittany. What if they never talk again? What if Brittany is disgusted and repulsed by her?

What would she do without the one person who makes her life so much better?

Santana's back home now and decides that she's had enough of a bad day without rehashing it all in her head like she's just been doing. "It's time to get my snacking on." She walks to the kitchen and turns on some music. As she grabs the cookie container, her cell phone buzzes.

She freezes. What if it's Brittany? What will she say? Is this one of those times when your world can change simply because of a phone call? The phone continues to ring as she stares at it apprehensively.

She rushes over to the phone on the table at the last minute and practically falls flat on her face in an attempt to reach it in time when she trips over an unpacked box of kitchen utensils. Her cookies go flying into Never-Never Land and Santana wants to sit down and just give up on life at this point. Can she not even have the comfort of cookies today?

"Hello?"

"Hey, Santana! How's my favorite lesbian doing?" He whispers the word lesbian so low that she can barely hear it over the chatter in the background, but she gets the gist.

"Kurt, if you ever call me that again I will kick your sorry, puny ass all the way from over here." Kurt was the only one in Glee club who knew, because he came across Santana ogling Brittany one day and confronted her about it later. Santana, believe it or not, was an awful liar but Kurt promised to keep her secret. He knew what it was like to be scared and in the closet.

"Right. Sorry. Anyway, we're in Glee club right now and everyone was just wondering how you were doing and Blaine got up the bright idea to call you." The background noise from Kurt's end suddenly gets quiet as everyone in Glee Club starts to listen in on their conversation.

"I'm fine, thanks. How's Brittany? Is she there?"

"You haven't talked to her?"

"Umm... well, I've been really busy and all."

She hears him hesitate on the other end, obviously not believing her lie. "She's here, yeah. Man, it sounds quiet over there!"

Santana frowns and stares at the phone in her hand like maybe Kurt's lost it.

"What the hell are you talking about? I know you can hear the music playing in the background here."

"Yep. Really quiet, huh? It'll get better though, Santana. Everything takes time."

A light bulb goes off in her head. The others are listening and Kurt's using some freaky, nerdy code language to alert her that Brittany's been really quiet lately. A quiet Brittany is not good. Not good at all.

"Thanks for letting me know, Kurt. Tell Britt-Britt I said hi, okay? Look after her for me."

"No problem, Santana. Keep in touch!"

"You know it. You're all going to miss my kick-butt singing soon."

"Yep! Bye."

Santana hangs up the phone and sighs. It wasn't Brittany. Brittany still hadn't called her. The rejection stings because this time it's real. She's always wondered what it would be like if Brittany would reject her and now she knows. Unfortunately, it hurts a lot more than she thought it would.

She sighs and puts down her phone with a grimace, looking a little lost without her best friend to comfort her like she normally does when something bad has happened. She wants to cry but she reminds herself that crying isn't going to get her anywhere. "Now, where are my frickin' cookies?"

* * *

><p>For the hundredth time that day, Brittany takes out the letter and reads it over. The joy it gives her is amazing, but it's equaled by a burden of sadness and hopelessness. Mostly, though, she's angry.<p>

That's why she hasn't called Santana, either, because she's so angry at her. Why didn't Santana tell her sooner? They could have spent the past year dating and in love. Instead, Brittany spent the last year wondering whether Santana was ever going to love her back and fighting jealousy every time some boy-with-a-suicide-wish asked Santana out. She wanted to shout at them: She. is. Mine. Even if Santana didn't realize it, she's always been Brittany's. Brittany gets her. She understands how Santana clicks, and Santana's right: they do have a soul connection in that from the moment they met they could communicate without words and understand exactly what the other person was feeling or thinking.

She's always known little aspects of Santana that no one else has ever noticed. Like, that Santana's favorite food is cookies with peanut butter. Or, that Santana's secret dream isn't to become a lawyer or a doctor or anything like that, but a child psychologist. Or that, the thing that most annoys Santana is when someone else doesn't try their best.

She can practically read Santana's mind and tell you what she's thinking at that moment just by her body language and facial expression because they've known each other for so long. So, even if she doesn't own Santana, she should.

But it's too late.

What's the point of dating now when the love of her life doesn't even live nearby? She needs to see her and smell her and touch her. She can't do that if Santana's somewhere wandering around the South. Or was it the West? Either way, it was somewhere that involved the ocean and gay sharks. That, Brittany was sure of.

Anyway, right after she read the letter, she was tempted to call Santana and demand her dad stop driving them to a new home in a new place, far away from Brittany. Brittany was going to tell Stana that she loves her, but she got scared and chickened out because she knows Santana's in the closet and she can't just profess her love for Santana in front of Santana's parents. That would be awkward. That's a weird word... awkward. awk-ward. aw-k-ward. awkward...

"BRITTANY!" Rachel's glaring at her from a few seats away.

"Huh?"

"Pay attention, already, will you?"

"Sorry, I was thinking."

Everyone in Glee Club turns to look at her weirdly. What, do they really think she can't think? Just because she said a ballad was a male duck last week doesn't mean she's stupid. It just means she likes ducks, that's all.

"Anyway..." Rachel goes on about her ideas for sectionals (which, of course, involve mainly solos for her), now confident that she has everyone's undying attention.

Brittany looks around cautiously and, when she's sure no one's watching her, she pulls out the letter she wrote as a response to Santana, wondering if she should just send it. Kurt helped her with the grammar and spelling so it didn't sound too bad...

_Dear Santana,_

_Your letter made me cry, but in a good way. I'm a little mad at you right now, though. Why didn't you tell me earlier? Because, San, I love you too. I always have but I've been too scared to say anything either, so I guess it's my fault too. It's just, I was worried that you would reject me too. No one's ever really been my friend before, except for you. They all think I'm too dumb. Except for you._

_This isn't going to be as nice as your letter, but here's the reasons I love you:_

_You make me laugh._

_You don't make fun of me. _

_You understand me._

_You like Mr. Tubbington._

_You shared a box of candy with me that one time at the movie theater even though I knew you hated that type of candy._

_You smile when I show you my drawings of penguins and armadillos pooping rainbows. And you act like they're the best artwork ever, even though I know they're not, because I asked a professional artist at McKinley College. He said I wasn't very good._

_You love me. _

_You're so, so beautiful. And you have an amazing body... Sorry, Kurt. (He wrote this for me, by the way, I hope you're not mad. I asked him to fix all my uh... grandma issues? Oh, Kurt says it's 'grammar' issues. Whatever). But, you're hot. _

_You're my best friend and you always will be.  
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_That's why I love you. I wouldn't want to spend the rest of my days with anyone but you, San. You make every day happier, like rainbowy, and it makes my life so much better. I just wish that you hadn't moved, because now I'm not so sure this can work out. But, I still love you._

_Love, your Brittany_

_P.S. This is Kurt. Brittany was crying at the end of this, Santana. You better swallow your pride and call her before the rest of Glee Club badgers you into doing it._


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or its characters, etc.**

**Thanks for the responses everyone! That really makes me happy! Please keep reviewing - it will make me happier and motivate me to update sooner :) (Even though those of you who know me know I update fast because I'm impatient for people to read this haha). I have something really interesting planned for the next few chapters, so stay tuned. :)  
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Brittany looks at the letter Kurt had helped her write and sighs. She's at home now, in her room, and she's been debating for over half-an-hour whether she should send the letter or not.

Finally, she decides. She stands over her trashcan and rips the letter into little pieces.

"I'm sorry, San. It's just too late. There's no point."

The miniscule pieces float into the trashcan like shredded confetti: remnants of Brittany's dreams ripped to pieces by the effects of time and space.

Brittany moves over to her bed and sits next to Mr. Tubbington.

"Mr. Tubbington, do you think she'll forgive me? I really love San but I just don't think this is going to work out. She's so far away. Like, you couldn't even get there, Mr. Tubbington. Unless maybe you drove, which you are not allowed to do. Remember what happened last time?"

The fat cat looks at her curiously and mews quietly.

Brittany smiles and flips her blonde hair over her shoulder. "That's right. We don't want you driving anymore because you-"

_And the songbirds are singing,_  
><em> Like they know the score<em>,  
><em> And I love you, I love you, I love you<em>  
><em>Like never before...<em>

Brittany jumps up and grabs her phone from her dresser in excitement. The ringtone Santana assigned to herself (Brittany doesn't understand how to do stuff like that, but Santana helped her) is ringing.

She listens to the sound of Santana's beautiful voice singing for a moment longer as "Songbird" plays. Then, she remembers she has to pick up the phone. Sometimes she forgets to do that because she just wants to listen to Santana sing.

"Hello, San?"

"Hey, Britt-Britt... How are you?"

"I'm good." Brittany lies back down on her bed and stares up at the ceiling, which is dotted with glow-in-the-dark stars. It reminds her of space. She thought they were real stars when Santana first put them up, but Santana told her they weren't.

"Brittany... um... you never called me. Is everything okay?"

"It's fine. I was just... doing homework, that's all."

On the other end of the line, Santana raises her eyebrow. Brittany's an awful liar.

"Britt... I'm sorry if my letter offended you or anything.. I didn't-"

"You didn't offend me, Santana! How could you think that? I'm fine with who you are...but, other than saying that, I don't want to talk about it, okay? I just want to know about how you're doing."

"Okay. Um. I'm doing all right. I've just been going to school, doing homework, and looking for a job I can do on the weekends."

Brittany sighs. She knows Santana, and Santana's voice is telling her that she's not doing all right. She knows better than to pry though, because Santana will shut her out. Again.

"That's good, San. I miss you."

"I miss you too, Brittany."

"When are you going to visit?"

"Brittany! It's only been a week!" Santana's smile can be heard in her voice.

"But it feels like forever..." She's whining, but Brittany doesn't care. Where Santana used to be in her life, there's only an empty ache. There's no one walking beside her to class anymore; no one to stand up for her when someone calls her stupid; no one to watch movies and giggle with; no one to cuddle with and hold when she feels sad. She tries to cuddle with Mr. Tubbington, but he hisses at her too much and he smells like tuna. As much as she loves tuna, that's not Santana. Santana smells like cinnamon, not tuna.

"Do you want to get on Skype, Britt? I need to see you." The longing in Santana's voice is evident.

"Okay." Brittany moves over to her computer and sings in to Skype. She soon gets a phone call from Santana and accepts it.

"Hi." Santana is staring back at her and her beautiful face fills the screen, taking Brittany's breath away.

"Hi."

Brittany hesitates and then decides to ask Santana, "How are you really doing, San?" It's harder for Santana to lie to her when they're talking face-to-face since Brittany can read her every expression.

Santana sighs and rubs her eyes. "Let's see... the people here are an absolute joke. They're all nerds. No one does anything fun in this town. There isn't even a bar. I have no one to watch movies with and the cheer-leading team at this school is so bad that they make Finn's clumsy moves look good. And this random dorky kid with a million zits and unwashed hair keeps asking me out every day. So, it sucks." Santana feels immediate regret after her tirade. She shouldn't have said all that. She hates to burden Brittany and she clearly made Brittany sad as evident by Brittany's expression.

"Aww. San, I'm so sorry."

"I was exaggerating, Brittany. Don't worry. I'm going to be fine. I'm just crabby because I miss you."

"I miss you too. Are you dating that guy?"

Santana laughs, although a slight bit of fear is hiding in her eyes. "Nope. If you have haven't figured out that I'm not interested in guys by now..."

"Oh, right. That's cool." An awkward silence comes over them because Brittany knows Santana's referring to the letter.

They talk for almost an hour after that about Glee, and Santana helps Brittany with her mathematics homework.

Finally, they say goodnight.

"Night, San. I love..miss you."

"Miss you too. I'll call tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay. Bye."

"Bye."

Brittany ends the Skype conversation and sighs. She knows she should have just told Santana that she loves her too but the words wouldn't come. Why does the time never seem right? She wants to do it in person, not over Skype, with the love of her life so far away. She pauses a moment as she remembers the letter, and she glances over toward her trashcan... should she do it?

* * *

><p>A few hours later, Santana is sitting in her room, contemplating whether she should work on her stupid physics homework or just sleep, when her mom walks into the room.<p>

"Santana? Was that Brittany you were talking to before dinner?"

"Yeah, mom." Is she in trouble? Her mother doesn't usually ask about her Skype conversations.

"Santana, have you made any friends here yet?"

Santana resists the urge to roll her eyes. "No, mom, but I'm fine. I've met some people and I'm studying hard. I'm not doing drugs. I'm not going crazy, and I'm not drinking. " A lot, she adds silently in her head.

Her mother looks slightly hurt. "I just wanted to make sure you're okay."

Santana is so close to blowing up, because of course she's not okay, but her mom's had it hard with this move too and she knows that so she resorts to a semi-sarcastic remark instead. "I'm fine. I mean, I don't want to be in this shitty town, but I'm fine."

"Santana! Don't use that language!"

"Sorry."

"Well... maybe you'll meet a nice boy or something here." Her mom's hopeful look hurts Santana, but she doesn't let it show. 'I'll never find a boyfriend, mom. I don't want to.' That's what she wants to say.

Instead, she only asks, "What do you mean?"

"Well... it's just with Brittany around all the time you never really had a chance to have a boyfriend because she demanded so much of your attention. She's a nice girl, Santana, but you need the space to have your own life."

Santana feels like shouting again. Her mom just doesn't get it. Brittany is her life.

"I like Brittany, okay, mom? She has nothing to do with whether I date or not. The only thing keeping me from dating guys was..."

"What?"

Santana almost says it: that she's a lesbian, but she knows her mom won't accept her. Her family won't accept who she really is. They would rather she pretend to be someone she's not than be herself and happy. According to them, who she is - it's wrong.

"I just meant that the pickings were awful in Lima, mom. That's all."

"Oh. Well, there are plenty of nice boys here, Santana."

"Of course."

Her mother walks out of the room with a smile, clearly thinking the conversation went well, and Santana closes the door behind her. She misses Brittany so much. She misses the one person who understands her and seems to accept her for who she is, even if the letter made Brittany feel a little uncomfortable.

"How am I going to get through this?"

No one answers because no one is there.

Will anyone ever be there for her?

Her cell phone ringing interrupts her. It startles her because of the freakish timing. Santana Lopez is not superstitious but she can't help but wonder: Is this an answer to her question?

"Hello?"

"Is this Santana?"

The voice almost sounds like... "Mrs. Pierce?"

Mrs. Pierce's voice quivers. "We know you talked to Brittany earlier. Do you have any idea where she is?"

"What do you mean?" A bubble of fear rises up within her.

"We just got home from teacher conferences for her brother..."

Mrs. Pierce pauses and then admits, "Brittany's missing."

**Review please. Gracias. De nada. Como estas? Muy bien, y tu? Bien. Quieras chocolate? Si! And, yes, I am talking to myself in Spanish. Because. I. Can. **


	4. Chapter 4

"What do you mean she's missing?" Santana is so pissed right now. Brittany couldn't have just vanished into thin air! Why don't her parents ever pay attention to where she is or what she's doing? Just because she's not as smart as her brother doesn't mean she isn't a worthwhile human being!

Mrs. Pierce is still talking on the other end of the line, but Santana decides to cut her off. "Look, Mrs. Pierce. I talked to Brittany just a few hours ago, but she never said she was going anywhere. If I were you, I would get off my butt and go figure out where the hell she is instead of calling her best friend who happens to live a few states away!"

With that, she hangs up. Typically, she tries to remain on the Pierce's good side. Heck, they're like family to her, but in this case, Santana doesn't care about anyone's feelings. She knows Brittany's only been missing for a few hours but Brittany always tells people where she's going... and Brittany's as innocent as a child. She trusts everyone; who knows what sort of trouble she's got herself into already? Of course, maybe she's over-reacting. I mean, it has only been a few hours and Brittany's not as dumb as everyone thinks she is. Maybe she just went for a drive.

She decides to call Brittany's cell just in case to see if maybe she'll pick up. Just so she knows where Brittany is, that's all.

Ring...ring...ring...

"C'mon, Britt-Britt! Pick up already!" Santana knows she's probably freaking out over nothing, but...

"Hello?"

"Brittany, where are you? Your parents are about to send the frickin' police out to look for you! Why didn't you answer when your mom called you?"

"Hi Santana! I missed you, so I decided to go look for you! Oh, and I didn't want to talk to her. Lots of people have been calling me, actually, which is kind of weird. It's like I have super-unicorn powers that make me popular all of the sudden. But you're the only one I want to talk to."

"Umm... okay. What did you mean by saying you're looking for me, Brittany? I mean, it would take you days to drive here."

"What do you mean, silly? I'm almost there! Listen, I'll talk to you in a few minutes, okay? If I keep talking to you now then I'm scared I will ruin the surprise! Sorry it took a few hours for me to get to you. I had some errands to do first. I wanted to surprise you! Now, don't call me back. I won't answer because I'm not supposed to talk so much on the phone while I'm driving. Otherwise, scary, little tigers will come and eat me. At least, that's what Kurt told me. Bye!"

"WAIT! Brittany, don't hang-"

Click.

"-up." Santana sighs and immediately re-dials but Brittany doesn't answer her. "I'm going to kill your sorry ass, Kurt, for telling her that because now she won't pick up her phone."

As c razy as it sounds, Santana checks outside the front windows of her house every few minutes since Brittany said she'd be here soon. Who knows, maybe she took a flight here? But, even then it would take more than a few hours to get here. Santana's so confused, which is frustrating because she usually understnads exactly where Brittany's coming from, even when the rest of the world looks at Brittany like she's crazy.

Brittany's not crazy. People always assume she's stupid or mentally off, but Brittany has such a unique, beautiful perspective on the world. That's the only word Santana can use to describe her Brittany: beautiful.

"Stop it, Santana! She doesn't feel that way about you, idiot." Great. Now she's starting to talk to herself. She might as well just check herself into the insane asylum now.

IF YOU GETS UP IN MY BUSINESS AGAIN, I WILL MAKE YOUR LIFE A LIVING HELL! IF YOU GETS UP IN MY BUSINESS AGAIN, I WILL-

"Hello?" Man, she really needs to change her ringtone. It's fun to watch all the dorks here give her frightened glances though when they hear it. Sometimes, she'll set it as her alarm at lunch period just for the pure joy of watching them squirm uncomfortably and inch away from her.

"Santana? Are you listening to me at all?"

"Huh? Oh, hi Kurt. Sorry, a little out of it today. What's up?"

"Do you know where Brittany is?"

Ugh. "What does everyone keep asking me that? Like I would know where the hell she is when I'm all the way over here?"

"Right. Sorry. It's just her mom just called me and she's really upset and says she doesn't know where Brittany is and Brittany won't answer her phone-"

"Yeah, about that. Listen, Kurt, if you ever tell Brittany that tigers are going to eat her because she does or doesn't do something again I will-"

"I know, I know. Kick my sorry ass all the way from over there. You're real original, do you know that, Santana?"

"Shut up. Anyway, the reason she's not answering her phone is because you told her tigers would come and eat her if she talked on the phone while driving."

Kurt chuckles but a growl from Santana cuts him off. "I remember that. Right. Where's she driving to? Why's she driving?"

"Gee... let me think. I know, she's going to Disneyland! How the hell would I know where she's going? She hung up on me!"

"Right. Well..."

"Look, she did say she was coming to visit me but I don't think she meant she's driving all the way over here. She said she was almost there. I'm confused, Kurt. Just go and look for her, okay? I know it's only been a few hours, but Brittany's innocent. She gets lost easily and I'm not there... to look after her, okay?"

"Right. I'll do that. Say, did you happen to get anything interesting in the mail recently?"

Santana's brows furrow. "Why the sudden interest in my mail, Kurt? Did someone finally realize you're a fashion disaster and manage to take pictures of you and is now sending them to everyone as revenge for some twisted, evil plot you've done?"

"Nope. Not yet... Hey! I'm not a fashion disaster, Santana. You are. I bet I can tell you what you're wearing right now."

Santana glances down at her gray sweatpants and the dance shirt that is actually Brittany's shirt. Brittany left it at her house one time after a sleepover.

"I don't really care. You're wasting time. Just go find her, okay, Kurt? I'm worried."

"Right." She thinks he's already hung up and she's about to do so as well when she hears him whisper, "gray sweatpants and that pink dance shirt of Brittany's," before hanging up. If it were any other time, she would've laughed and denied it and kept the conversation going, but she just wants to know where Brittany is. She needs to know where Brittany is. What would Santana do if something bad happened to Brittany?

Brittany is her life.

* * *

><p>Finally, she was here. It had taken about an hour-and-a-half, but she was here. And, soon, she would get to see Santana and she could tell her everything: that Brittany loves her too and that they can work through this together. Other people do long-distance relationships, right? Brittany doesn't know why she was so silly, earlier. After her Skype conversation with Santana, she printed off a new letter and decided to go find her. Santana gave her the address, just in case. Now, she just has to find the street.<p>

Brittany glances down at the paper with the street address in Santana's beautiful handwriting. Santana does have beautiful handwriting, not that she'd want anyone to know that. It would destroy her rough reputation. Her handwriting makes Brittany think of Santana's hands, which are about as soft as a koala bear tummy. Really, soft. Like, so..soo...

Then, she remembers she needs to look at the address. Focus, Brittany, focus.

_314 Central Ave.  
><em>

Easy enough. Now, where is Central Avenue? Or does that stand for average? Something that starts with ave...

Eventually, Brittany finds the street, but she can't find the house.

She looks and looks and looks, but she can't find it.

Now what does she do?

* * *

><p>It's been a day and still no one knows where Brittany is.<p>

Now, she has a legit reason to freak out.

* * *

><p><strong>Hi, everyone! Thanks for the reviewsalerts!  
><strong>

**On a side note, if my swearing in this story is offensive to anyone and you prefer that I not use it, just let me know.  
><strong>

**On another side note (a b flat to be exact), please review! Let me know if you have any awesome ideas you want me to incorporate! No guarantees, but I'm always open to new ideas :)  
><strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey everyone! Sorry if you couldn't view this earlier. Fanfiction was being kind of weird yesterday. Please review ;)**

"It's been two days, Santana."

"I'm well aware of that, Kurt! Do you think I can't read time? What am I supposed to do all the way from over here?"

"Maybe you should come look for her. You know her like no one else, Santana. You'd be able to find her. Her parents are freaking out. Even the police are looking. She's not answering her phone. Everyone's really worried. She hasn't shown up at your place, has she?"

"Welll... gee. I didn't even think of that! Let me go check for the thousandth time. Oh, you know what? You were right. She's been sitting on my front porch for two days. I'm so stupid. YES! I've been checking."

"Wow. Okay. Just think about it, okay?"

"I will. Sorry, I'm just freaked out. Cya, Kurt."

"Bye."

Santana sighs as she hangs up the phone. She's really worried. Brittany is nowhere to be found. Maybe Kurt's right: she should go find Brittany. It's not like she hasn't thought about it. Her dad gave her a credit card for 'times of emergencies'. This definitely counts as an emergency. But, she's scared. Because her mom and dad are going to want to know why she needs to go out there and look for Brittany. They're going to tell her that she has stuff to do here and that the police are looking for Brittany so there's not much more Santana can do. And they're right. She probably won't be that big of a help. But she doesn't want to have to explain to them that Brittany is her life. She needs to at least know she tried to find her.

Santana cautiously walks out of her bedroom and creeps into the kitchen, where her parents are eating dinner. She told them she wasn't hungry and they left her alone for once.

They both look up when she walks into the room as if they know something drastic is about to happen, even bigger than the time Santana and Brittany caused the microwave to explode. Man, that was a fun cooking experiment.

"Uh... Mom? Dad? I need a favor."

"What is it sweetie?"

"Brittany's still missing and I want to go to Lima and find her. I'm really worried."

"Don't they have the police looking for her? What more can you do?"

"I need to at least try to find her. She's my best friend."

Her parents smile sympathetically but her mom responds, "You're needed here, Santana. They'll find her. Don't worry."

"No."

"No?" Concern etches over their faces.

"I... I'm going. Whether you say I can or not! I'm going to go find her. I'm going to jump on a frickin' plane... I'll drive if I have to!"

Her parents don't look surprised. She's always been stubborn. "We won't allow you to go, Santana. You need to let the police handle this."

"The police don't know Brittany like I do!" She's almost yelling know, but she no longer cares. "She's my best friend!"

"I know, sweetie, but you're not going to be any help... Besides, there will be other friends."

She can't believe her dad just said that. Are they that blind? "No, Dad! Mom! There won't be another Brittany, okay? I frickin'... love her? All right?"

Her parents' eyes widen at her outburst. "We know you love her, darling, and she's a great friend but-"

"NO! YOU DON'T GET IT!... I'M... I'M G-GAY! OKAY?"

Dead silence. Not like, semi-dead or unconscious, but absolutely silent. Very, very silent. So silent that you could hear a pin drop from the country of Africa in the middle of the Sahara all the way over here, in South Carolina... That's the weight of the silence she felt as it attempted to swallow her whole.

Her mother only laughs. "Honey, you don't know what you're saying. You're not gay."

_Well, gee, mom, I guess you're right. I've just been lying to myself all this time... what the heck? _"Yes, I am."

"No, you're not! This is just a phase, that's all. Sweetie, with all the stress from moving-"

She cuts her dad off. "THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH MOVING, OKAY? Exercising like a maniac was a phase! Wanting to be an artist was a phrase! Talking like James Bond for a few months when I was eight because he sounded cool was a phase! This is not a phase! I've been gay my whole life! I. like. Girls! And I always will! And I love Brittany... so I'm going to go find-"

Her mother stands up. "Santana. Go to your room. You are talking nonsense. You are not going anywhere, young lady! No Lopez has been or will ever be _gay_. No one will ever choose that sort of...of _lifestyle_. It's wrong."

The rage builds in her because she knows in her heart that she didn't choose this. How dare they say that who she is, is wrong? How dare she say gay like it's some sort of incurable disease? "I DIDN'T CHOOSE THIS! I didn't want to be gay! Why would you ever think I chose this? One day I just woke up and thought, well, shit, I'm bored with my life, and since going to Disneyland is out of the question at the moment, I guess I'll just turn gay!"

"SANTANA! Watch your language!"

"No, dad. No, mom. I am who I am. Don't tell me to watch my language when you are so close minded that you don't even see that there's nothing wrong with me!"

With that, she grabs her purse and car keys and storms out of the house.

And, right now, she's not sure she'll ever return.

* * *

><p>Brittany puts down the hairbrush and attaches another bow to the dog's hair as she starts to sing, "Chocolate cake. Chocolate cake. Lalalalalala. Chocolate cake. I like cake. Mmm... Cakey-cake. Cakey-cake.<em>..<em> Do you like cake, Mr. Doggy? You look so pretty! I think this will help you meet the ladies. They like a man to look nice, you know." The dog stares at her like he's not sure if he should run while he has the chance.

"Brittany, dear, would you set the table?"

"Okay!" She tries to skip to the dining room. Skip-hop. Or was it hop-skip. Or skip-skip hop? _I wonder if we're having cake tonight. I wonder if I should save a piece for when Santana comes... Cake cake... cakey-cake._

* * *

><p><strong>I apologize for this semi-short chapter but I'll update this weekend with longer chapter, I promise. I hope it hasn't been too sad or anything. And now... I made a poem for you all: <strong>

**Hi people.**

**You are great.**

**You are all awesome, mates.**

**If we ever meet, it will be fate.**

**Doesn't this song really rate?**

**It's really late, on this date.**

**Wow. Is this poem bad, Kate?**

**The end. **

**Yep. So that... sucked. haha. Especially since I don't really know that many people named Kate. I wasn't really trying, obviously. Please review. You are all amazing and awesome people. Maybe Brittany will even save a piece of cake for you ;).  
><strong>


	6. Chapter 6

She bought plane tickets using the credit card her dad gave her. This is definitely an emergency. She glares at anyone who attempts to approach her in the airport. She wonders if it's wearing off though because one lady actually has the nerve to smile at her.

She tries calling Brittany for the millionth time but she only gets her voice mail:

_Hi! This is Brittany. Well. Kind of. I mean, it's my phone. But this is my voice. What, Santana? Oh. Santana says I'm supposed to tell you to leave a message. _

_BEEP!_

"Brittany! Come on! Answer your fricking phone already! Don't you know everyone is really worried about you? It's been over two days, Brittany. Please, please call me back! I need to know you're okay. If you don't call me soon I'm going to go all Lima Heights on everybody and we all know that's not pretty. Please, Britt-Britt."

Soon, her flight is called and Santana boards the plane. She ends up sitting next to some older woman who apparently loves talking.

"I can't wait to get home and see my grand-kids! They're so sweet! Where are you going, dearie?"

If there's one thing Santana Lopez can't stand, it's being called dearie. No one dares to call her that at home because she would kick their ass. She needs to keep up her tough-girl reputation somehow.

"Nowhere."

"Oh... are you sad? You look a little sad, dearie. Are you going to go visit your parents? Divorces these days are so sad. Well... let's see if I have any peppermint in my purse to help cheer this girl up."

An evil, smug grin crosses Santana's face as devises a way to shut this woman up. Usually, she tries to be nice to the elderly but this lady is beyond nosy and Santana is not in the mood for pleasant conversation with a stranger she's never going to talk to again. She starts to cough really loudly.

The woman looks up alarmed. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah... Sorry. I'm just getting over some pneumonia. The doctors say I have a really bad case of it." She coughs again so hard that her face turns slightly red.

The woman's eyes become alarmed and she inches as far away on her seat from Santana as she can. For the rest of the flight, she covers her mouth with her scarf and ignores Santana.

Santana feels slightly guilty for being so mean because the lady reminds her of her Abuela but she can't help it: she's practically ready to punch someone who even gives her the wrong look after the way her parents treated her. She's still angry about it. Why can't they accept her for who she is? Will she ever be free enough to live her life happily or will she have to choose between her happiness and the acceptance and love of her family? Will they ever love her for who she is?

Somehow, she doesn't think they ever will.

She switches flights once in Baltimore and arrives in Ohio in the early evening. Kurt is coming to the airport and picking her up. She called him briefly while she was in Baltimore to let him know she was coming. She didn't tell him about the fight with her parents. She's not sure he would understand... his family was so accepting when he came out.

After she finds her luggage, she attempts to locate Kurt. He told her he would be waiting near the front doors of the airport. She spots him standing alone wearing purple skinny jeans, a tight leather vest and a beret. She wonders if Blaine has been sharing clothes with him again because he looks like a fashion disaster cross between Kurt and Blaine.

"SANTANA!" Kurt almost squeals like a girl, but she doesn't care. He envelopes her in a hug and Santana enjoys the scent of something that can only be Kurt: mint, woodsy, and fresh. A scent as innocent as Kurt himself.

"Hi Kurt. Nice outfit." She smirks.

He only rolls his eyes. "I've missed you too, Santana."

As they walk to the car (with Santana carrying the only item she brought with her: her purse), Kurt asks her, "Why the sudden decision? I thought you weren't going to come look for her."

"I... I knew you were right so I came."

As soon as they're in the car, Kurt glances sideways at her but doesn't start the car. "Okay, spill. What's wrong?"

"Nothing." She tries to glare but her glaring muscles are largely used up for the day and she's getting a headache from doing so all afternoon.

"Santana. You and I both know you're an awful liar. Now, what happened? Are your parents mad you came?"

"They didn't want me to. I.. I told them, Kurt."

"What?" Then his eyes light up with a mixture of pride and sorrow. "They didn't take it well?"

A tear rolls down her cheek despite her best effort to remain strong in front of this boy who knows her just a little too well for her comfort. "They hate me. They'll never accept me."

Kurt wraps his arms around her and lets her cry for awhile. "They don't hate you, Santana. They just have to get used to the idea, that's all."

She pulls back. "You don't get it, Kurt. You didn't see their faces. The disgust was so strong. They looked like they wished I wasn't their daughter anymore! What if they never accept me? Where will I live? What if I can never be myself because they refuse to love me? What if I end up alone, Kurt?"

"Shhh.. It's going to be okay, Santana. Maybe my dad could talk to your parents-"

"That won't work! I knew you wouldn't understand. Your parents are so understanding about you being gay but mine act like I have a disease. I feel like I'm suddenly worthless... an outcast."

Kurt's eyes harden at her words. "Why the hell would you think I wouldn't understand? Don't you know I deal with this every day? Didn't you see how at the airport everyone was giving me bad looks because I'm obviously gay? Don't you know I hate this- I'm not accepted anywhere, Santana. At least you can _appear_ to fit in."

She just shakes her head and Kurt starts to drive. They drive all the way to Lima in silence. Neither knows what to say to each other. How do they comfort one another when the truth is so brutal?

This society hates who they are.

* * *

><p>Brittany stares at her ceiling as she listens to music on her i-pod. This room isn't nearly as nice as her room at home but it works. She misses the stars on her ceiling, though, because Santana helped her put them up. Nothing in this place reminds her of Santana. Everything at home did. She can't stop thinking of Santana. Wondering where she is... Brittany's been searching every day all along this street but she's going to have to go home soon... Why did Santana lie to her? She obviously gave her the wrong address...<p>

* * *

><p>Brittany isn't anywhere.<p>

She's not at home, obviously. She's not at McKinley. She's not at Santana's old house (but the couple who now live there didn't like it when Santana barged in and pounded into her old room, now occupied by a twelve year old, and searched everywhere). She's not anywhere.

Santana checks their old haunts: the coffee shop, the park, the dance studio, the gym, cheerios practice areas, the locker rooms. She even checks the grocery store, just in case Brittany got hungry or something. But she's gone.

Images flit through Santana's head of Brittany being kidnapped and willingly going along with her captors because they told her they have a unicorn. She's so innocent. What if she's lost and she doesn't know how to find her way home? What if she's been drugged by someone and is stuck in some brothel somewhere?

What if she's dead?

She checks Brittany's room for any evidence of where she went, but nothing comes up. She doesn't know what to do. She ends up falling asleep on Brittany's bed, on Brittany's pillow, smelling her scent and pretending that everything is okay. She sees Brittany's face in her dreams and whispers, "Where are you?", but the apparition only dances away.

Then... her phone rings, waking her up.

"Santana?"

She bolts upright at the sound of Brittany's voice.

"BRITTANY! Where are you?"

* * *

><p><strong>Review please! Thanks :) <strong>


	7. Chapter 7

"I'm in Greenville, where you told me you live, silly!"

Santana starts in surprise. Brittany drove all the way to her house in South Carolina? "Why didn't you answer your phone, Brittany? We were so worried about you!" Especially me.

"It died and I forgot to charge it without you here to remind me. But then I remembered because I was thinking about you and then I saw you've called me like a bajillion times."

"Look, Brittany. Just stay there, okay? I'll hop on a flight and come get you. I should be there in four hours, if I can get the flights close enough together."

"Why would it take you so long, Santana? It only took me an hour-and-a-half to drive here! I've been waiting for you for so long... And I can't find your house number, just the street which is really weird. Oops! I gotta go! Mrs. B's saying that dinner's ready! Bye!"

Click.

Augh. Santana wants to scream in frustration. Why does Brittany keep hanging up on her? It's getting dang annoying. Santana's brows furrow in confusion as she attempts to process what Brittany meant. She said she's in Greenville. But how did she know how to get there? And what the hell did she mean it only took her an hour-and-a-half to drive there?

She calls Brittany's parents and they seem puzzled as well. Even Kurt, the fashion-crazy-brainiac-extraordinaire, has no idea.

It's up to Santana, the one who knows Brittany best, to find Brittany.

So, she acts like Brittany would have when she first set off to find Santana.

She grabs a paper that has her town's address on it and gets in the car.

And she reaches for her GPS to type in the address. However, the address that pops up on the screen is not what she expected.

Oh.

Santana rushes back inside and tears up to her room as she grabs her keys.

She knows where Brittany is. Finally!

* * *

><p>In her hurry, Santana forgets to tell anyone where she's going, but it's too late now. In about an hour-and-a-half, she arrives in a town in Ohio, fairly close to Lima, called Greenville. Apparently Brittany didn't know that Santana had moved to South Carolina (Santana hadn't written the state initials down because she thought Brittany knew) so Brittany just went wherever the GPS told her. And the closest Greenville to Lima, Ohio was Greenville, Ohio. Also, it has a street named "Central Street", just like in Greenville, South Carolina, in which Santana now lives. Go figure.<p>

She wonders what the heck Brittany has been doing in this town for the last two days if it only takes an hour or so to get here. No, scratch that. She doesn't even want to contemplate what sort of havoc Brittany's been wreaking since she got here.

She finds Central Street easily enough and then sits with her car idling as she attempts to call Brittany. Brittany doesn't answer so Santana sighs, knowing she's going to have to go down this entire street, knocking on every frickin' door and asking for Brittany. This could be a long day.

She walks up to the first house and rings the bell. A portly, old man answers. "I'm not buying any girl scout cookies!" He slams the door in her face.

Of all the nerve... She knocks again extra loudly, just for the satisfaction. He opens the door again but before he can get a word out, she spews, "WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM? Listen mister, you're obviously a sad, pathetic excuse for a human being but I need to find my friend. She has blond hair and is about 5 foot 5. Her name's Brittany. Have you seen her?"

"No." He slams the door again and Santana rolls her eyes. She really hopes the people living in the houses on the rest of the street are friendlier.

They are. One lady offers her cookies and Santana is hard pressed to refuse. Another asks if she'd like to by some Mary Kay make-up (what the heck? Why not!) and the third guy tries to give her money (which she refuses) because he feels sorry for her. Her favorite though, is the fifth house in.

She knocks on the door and a middle-aged woman with brown hair opens the door.

"Hi! Um... I'm looking for my friend. She's about 5 foot 5 and has blond hair and blue eyes. Her name's Brittany. Have you seen her?"

The lady smiles. "Yes, of course! She's right here! BRITTANY! SOMEONE'S HERE TO SEE YOU!"

Santana steps into the foyer and sighs in relief as her beautiful Brittany comes pounding down the stairs.

Brittany flings herself into Santana's arms and wraps her own around Santana's neck so tight that Santana's sure she'll have bruises. But she doesn't care because Brittany is safe and okay and at Santana's side again.

Where she belongs.

"Santana! I'm so glad you're finally here! These nice people saw that I didn't have any place to sleep so they've been letting me sleep here! They run a teen shelter house for people like me without a home! I've been waiting forever! Where's your house, anyway?"

Santana doesn't bother telling Brittany that she does indeed have a home. Instead, Santana attempts to explain to Brittany that Santana's house is actually located in Greenville, South Carolina not Greenville, Ohio, but Brittany just wrinkles her nose and looks confused, so Santana cops out. "Um, what all that means Britt is that my house is a magical moving house and that it's no longer here. It evaporates sometimes and then lands in a new location. Right now it's in South Carolina."

"Oh! Okay!" Brittany grabs her hand and leads her upstairs. "I have something to give you!"

Santana follows Brittany upstairs, trying to ignore the warmth and strength of Brittany's agile hand, still holding her own.

When Brittany gives Santana the letter, however, she thinks she might faint. Is this a response to her own letter? A formal rejection? She's not sure she can take anymore rejection and pain.

At Brittany's urging she opens the letter and soon tears fill her eyes. She looks up after she has finished reading the letter to find Brittany standing in front of her, nervously smiling.

"Did you like it? I hope it made sense. You know how Kurt can be and all. He doesn't make much sense sometimes..."

Santana simply smiles and steps into Brittany's space, so that their bodies are touching. "I love it... and I... love you."

"Aw, I love you too, San!" To Santana's surprise, Brittany closes the gap between them as her soft lips find Santana's own. It's better than Santana imagined. Brittany's lips move against her own and Santana wraps her arms around Brittany's waist, trying to pull them even closer together. She wants to be near every inch of Brittany. Brittany bites gently on her lower lip, asking for entrance and their tongues collide in a dance known since the beginning of time. It doesn't matter that they're both woman. What matters is that they love each other and they're right for each other.

Now Santana just has to convince her parents of that.


	8. Chapter 8

"Mom?"

"SANTANA MARIE LOPEZ! How could you just leave like that?"

"Mom... I'm sorry, but I was upset and I needed to make sure Brittany was okay."

"You're in LIMA?" Her mother's outrage signals that she's going to be grounded for a long time.

"Yeah. I'm at Brittany's house. I found her."

She can almost see her mother rolling her eyes. "Of course you found her, Santana. It's not like she was that far away. It's Brittany we're talking about here. How far could she get? And what is this nonsense about you loving her? That is ridiculous."

The anger bubbles up inside her, ready to burst, but she ignores it. "I already told you that I'm... gay, Mom, so it's really not that ridiculous."

Complete silence on the other end of the line.

"You need to come home, NOW."

"No."

"NO? Who do you think you are, young lady?" Her mother starts speaking in Spanish and swearing and Santana knows she's in trouble.

"I hate it there, mom. I only have two years until I graduate. Brittany's parents already offered to let me live with them in their guest room."

"And do they know that you are... That Brittany and you..."

"Yes. Brittany told them she was bisexual a year ago and we just told them that we're dating."

"And what did they say about that?" Her mother's tone clearly indicates she doesn't think too much of them dating.

"They're fine with it." They're not homophobic, she wants to add.

"Let me talk to your father about it and we'll let you know what we decide. But until then you are not allowed to leave Brittany's house. Do. Not. Go. Anywhere. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Mom."

"Good."

Click. Santana stares at the phone and sighs before hanging up. Her mom is pissed, that much is very clear. She just prays that they'll allow her to stay with Brittany because she can't stand it in South Carolina. She needs to be with Brittany. Brittany needs her too.

"Hey Santana!" Brittany skips toward her and grins, before pulling her in for a quick kiss. Santana's sure she'll never get tired of that.

"What did your parents say? Did they say yes?"

"Um... Not exactly, Britt. My mom is going to talk to my dad and then call me back to let me know."

Brittany pouts. "I hope they say yes... I'll be really sad if you have to leave again."

"Me too."

"Awww... Don't be sad, Santana. I can cheer you up." Brittany smiles mischievously and gently kisses her left cheek, and moves toward her neck. Santana can feel herself getting aroused as Brittany's hands gently stroke her back.

"Brittany..." Her voice warns Brittany to stop.

"What?" Brittany looks at her, innocently blinking her blue eyes. She resumes kissing Santana's neck teasingly.

Finally, with a growl, Santana pulls Brittany flush against her and crashes her lips onto Brittany's own. They battle for dominance and relish in the taste of each other. This kiss, unlike the last, is possessive. Brittany is hers. She is Brittany's. She knows that's how it's supposed to be.

She loses herself in Brittany. Her hair, her scent, her taste. She loses track of time, until a voice clearing loudly jerks her out of her trance.

"Girls." Santana jumps away from Brittany and hangs her head, unable to meet the eyes of Brittany's father. He just smiles awkwardly and then grins as he shrugs his shoulders. "And this is why Santana is staying in the guest room."

Both women blush at the statement but Santana cannot help the small smile at Brittany's dad's way of handling the situation. He's so cool about it. She wishes her parents were the same way.

"Anyway, I wanted to ask what your parents said, Santana?"

"Um... they're going to discuss it and call back."

"All right. Would you girls like some supper now?" They head downstairs to the dinner table and Brittany's family include Santana in the conversation. She doesn't feel like an outcast here. She fits in better here than she did in her own home. That makes her sad but happy. Sad that she doesn't feel like she can be herself in her own home. Happy that she's finally found a place where people accept her for who she is. How is it possible to want to laugh and cry at the same time?

* * *

><p>"SANTANA! PHONE!" Brittany's little sister shouts from downstairs so that Brittany and Santana, who are studying in Brittany's room, can hear her.<p>

Santana and Brittany stare at each other in consternation. This is it. This phone call could mean the next two happiest years of their lives... Or the most miserable. Two years with each other... or two years apart. Which will it be?

Santana leans over and picks up Brittany's phone, which is a cat that looks suspiciously like Mr. Tubbington. "H-Hello?"

"Santana?"

"Yeah."

"Your father and I have decided... that you may stay at Brittany's house during the school year. During breaks and in the summer you must come home and spend time with your family."

She rolls her eyes. Spending time with the family means eating t.v. dinners while her parents watch the news and ignore her. Terrific.

"Fine. So, it's okay that I'm doing this?"

"You didn't really give us much choice, Santana. We know you'd just take the next plane back there." She smirks. She has to give her parents credit because they do know she's extremely stubborn.

They talk for a while more, with Santana telling her mom what to pack and ship here, and then Brittany's parents come on the phone to discuss rules like curfew and adult supervision with her parents.

She says goodbye and hangs up the phone, grinning, but at the same time, feeling a spark of sadness. There was something that went entirely unsaid in that conversation and she knew it. The real reason her parents were allowing her to stay with Brittany wasn't because she's stubborn. They could always ground her or refuse her access to transportation so that she couldn't get back to Ohio. No, the real reason they are allowing her to stay at Brittany's family's house is because they don't want her home. They don't want to explain to their high class friends why their daughter refuses to date their son. They don't want to have a gay daughter around.

They're ashamed of her, which breaks her heart.

She shakes off the despondent feeling and smiles because she's truly glad to be able to stay with Brittany. She runs over to Brittany and kisses her on the lips. "YES! I can stay here! Isn't that great, Britt-Britt?"

Brittany smiles widely. "I'm so glad, Santana. I would've been miserable without you. I mean, no one at school wants to talk to me about pandas or sparkly unicorns or how hippos really look like rocks. They all laugh at me."

"Well, now I'll be here to kick their butts if they do that again."

"Yay!" They jump up and down in each others arms.

As Brittany kisses her and then pulls her into a hug, Santana can feel herself smiling. She's so glad that the woman she loves, loves her back. She's so glad that she had the courage to come here and find Brittany. She's so glad that she had the courage to give her the letter.

For now, this is where she belongs.

**The End! Thank you for reading! :) I apologize for taking so long to update with this last chapter! I had a difficult time figuring out the ending. Please leave a review on the way out, letting me know what I can improve on, etc. **


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